The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1887-06-03
THE KRoLIK TRIAL.
The Concluding Testimony for the
Prosecution.
MIR. Krolik on the Stand.

Mr.. Krolik on the Stand.
The hearing of testimony for the pro-
secution was resumed at 8 o'clock Thurs
day morning.
RICHARD JONES, whJ was clerking for
Mr.. Krolik at the time, said he was IN
the store the day after the fire about
noon; he did not notice any thing pecu-
liar in the store that day; he had helped
pack and shipped several boxes of cheap
goods to Chicago commission men to sell
for Mr.. X. ut KS direction; there was
no sale for them here; shipped or 4
boxes; yes, / think IL is customary for
merchants to do so when they find goods
unstable.
Cross Examination-He had noticed a
smell of gas in the store, as if there Was
u leak somewhere for 3 or days pre-
vious to the fire; the leakage was very
annoying when he opened the store in
the morning; had to leave the doors
open to let in fresh air; he had notified
gas company several times to come fix
it; did not notice or know Of gas fixtures
| being loose; thought New Ulm was not
quite as large as Chicago, but guessed it
| was larger than st. Paul.
| ID. l.. ROsE testified as to the amount
| Of insurance he had carried for Mr.. X.
and related conversation he had had
with X. in regard to how insurance COM
panies adjusted losses; explained what
| was meant by concurrent insurance to
him, and related what he saw there after
| the fire, which has been testified to be-
| fore; had been in the insurance business
so long he thought he must have been
born an insurance agent.
j. L. WILLIAMS testified to having
placed 81 500 insurance for Krolik on his
stock, etc. that was all in force at the
time of the fire; the money had not
been paid to him, that Is, the premium,
but he had traded part of it out with X. !;
had paid the premium to the company
himself, so that practically the premium
was paid; was down town at the fire;
think from the time the alarm was given
it was minutes before he looked at the
clock, but going into the Mankato House
he said to Mr.. Holbrook lets look ut the
clock, 80 we did, il was ten minutes to
ten; was home when the alarm was Civ
en-, it was after the fire that we looked
at the clock.
q. G. BURT was recalled, and testified
to noticing the store was closed, and cur
tains down the day of the fire at noon
when he was after his paper at Collins
store; thought nothing particular about
it; thought X. was probably posting his
books, as it was near the first of the
month; thought nothing more of it till
after the fire, when this came back 10
his memory; the original lease was in
troduced in evidence and read.
r. A. BROWN testified TO seeing X. in
front of Emersons' store the evening of
the fire, talking with other parties about
20 or 80 minutes before the fire; think
the fire occurred about ten O'Clock.
GEO. Fox testified as to the shipment
of goods to Chicago, over the line of the
&c. WISE testified as to the advertis-
ing he had done for Mr.. X; that K had
always been liberal man to advertise,
and read the ad. that he had put in the
paper for X. in regard to KS selling out
ETC.; he had been in the habit of chang
ing ad. quite frequently; X. had told him
of his offer from parties to 60 to South
but IN ssfe~ days he said he had changed
his mind, and concluded not to go, and
had declined the offer.
LOUIS JANDA-Lived in Marshall; had
been told or heard that Krolik wanted
to sell out. / wanted to come here to
do business, as my wife's folks live here.
/ wrote to him to know what he would
sell for. He wrote back that he would
sell for So cents on the dollar, as he
wanted to go to South America. Have
not got the letter; burned it with 9TH
er letters when left Marshall to come
here. / got the letter the Friday or Sat-
urday morning before the fire. / left
Marshall to come here the Monday after
the fire. did not hear of the fire till
afterwards.
ID oil 20 u
the night of the fire standing i'm front of
Emerson's store; think it was not more
than ten or fifteen minutes before the
alarm of fire, judging from the time it
took him to mail letter and go home.
He was talking with some one, don't
know who; had seen him several times;
told Pitcher and Hunt when the fire hap
pened that i had seen Krolik not more
than ten or fifteen minutes before.
p. III. HAwLEY testified to KS ship
ping several boxes to commission men
In Chicago, and produced a memoranda
that was put in evidence in regard to the
matter. The boxes were shipped the
25th or 18th of July. There were seven
boxes shipped, weighing $40 pounds.
w. G. HoRRR testified as to K. IS keep
ing packages Of insurance papers in his
bank, and having access to them at any
there ever since he had been i'm business
here. Do not know If he put any there
during 1886, in addition to those already
there, or not; didn't know the insur-
ance he had at the time of the fire.
MRS. BOYER testified as TO number and
location of the living rooms and bed
| rooms of the family of Mr.. Hamilton in
the rooms over the store of Mr.. X, and
Mr.. Hamilton also testified to the same,
| as well as the internal arrangement of
the hallway and stairs. The testimony
| showed that their was no means of COM
! munication with X. g store from the no.
tel, either through cellar, halls or stair
| way.
At IL 80 the State rested, and Hon. M.
ID. L. Collester opened the case for the
defendant by an able and eloquent adj
dress to the jury on behalf of his client.
Court took recess till ] 80 p. IN. AT
| 80 p. m. court convened and the de-
tense put Mr.. Krolik on the stand to
testify in his own behalf.
KRoIIK, after re viewing his history
prior to his arrival here, went on TO say he
came here with capital of 81 800, that
he had made by his own exertions from
capital of 500; that he had when he
arrived in this country in March, 1879,
from Prussia, come to Mankato and went
into business with 1t and money bor-
rowed from brother-in-law in Detroit,
and from his uncle, who told him to
draw on him for any amount at any
time; had about 900 in all, and could
get more at any time; had never had
draft refused; had drawn a few times.
He went over his books. which were
produced, and he showed from them
what he had to commence with, and
what he had the day of the fire. He
went into this in detail, and his boot
and shos stock inventoried June /, '86,
81, 9S4.7l; furnishing goods, "a, 453. 81;
fixtures, $S68.27; total, $9,29S.29. He
also showed to whom the goods shipped
away were sent to, and told what they
were. The money they brought had
been sent to his uncle in Detroit, who
had guaranteed bills for him, and he
| Max had ordered sent to him when the
goods were sold.
He had received in all for that inven-
toried on his books at IS, 29S.29, but 81 :
926.68.
Some portions of letters were introdu-
ced In evidence from Mr.. KS affianced:
offered In evidence to show that X. had
intended TO 60 to South America, but az
ter finding that his intended and her
people were set against it he had given
it up, and bad planned and was planning
and intending to stay here and reside
here permanently; had plans for a house
in contemplation, and his intended's
father was to furnish it throughout for
them.
Mr.. K. said the day of the fire he
made up some bills for collection the LIST
OF the month, and wrote letter; had a